this post may contain affiliate links
My award-winning chili recipe is the most quintessential chili. I have two major rules for chili: 1. There can’t be more beans than meat and 2. It can’t have cinnamon. Sorry, all you Cincinnati residents. This chili is exactly what chili should be, savory, sweet, spicy, meaty and light on the beans. Some of the ingredients might puzzle you, but trust me, when it all cooks together, magic happens.
The recipe calls for 80% lean ground beef which is known as ground chuck. You can use a leaner meat, but you need enough rendered fat to cook two diced onions in. If your meat doesn’t render enough fat, you’ll need to add some oil to the pot. I would not use anything leaner than 90%. I like ground chuck because even after straining the fat, there’s enough to coat the onions. The aforementioned puzzling ingredients are the beer, instant coffee granules and cocoa powder. Let’s make a deal. You do it my way the first time and if you hate it (you won’t) you can change it. But you first have to try it as the recipe is listed. This isn’t an act of just cooking, it’s an act of trust. It’s like a trust fall. Except you’re gonna fall in love. ZINGER.
Be sure to check out my white chicken chili recipe while you’re here! This is also another great chili recipe that is a total crowd pleaser. It’s one of my most popular recipes for a reason.
Tips for the Best Chili Recipe
- Use a meat masher to break up all that ground beef. It’s the handiest gadget in the kitchen and SO cheap!
- Use a vegetable chopper for the onions. Another amazing kitchen gadget that’s been my best seller on amazon three years in a row!
- You really do need three hours for it to simmer. It’s wild what happens in that pot over time. Don’t taste it at first. You will be disappointed. The key is the time it’s in the pot simmering away. It’s actually even better the next day. If time allows, make this the day before you need to serve it. Reheat it with some beef stock if you need to thin it out (but not too much).
- Boil a pot of pasta noodles. We like rotini, shells or cavatappi. This chili tastes divine ladled over pasta.
- Some ideas for fixings are Fritos, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, green onions and fried onions.
Award Winning Chili
Ingredients
- 3 lbs ground chuck (80% lean ground beef) fat drained
- 2 yellow onions diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can petite diced tomatoes strained
- 12 oz tomato paste (1 regular can or 2 small ones)
- 28 oz beef broth
- 6 oz light beer (1/2 a bottle)
- 1 can light red kidney beans strained
Seasoning
- 1/2 c brown sugar
- 2 tsp instant coffee granules
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 chili seasoning packet (I use Brooks original)
Instructions
- Brown the meat just under medium heat and strain the fat once all the pink is cooked out.
- Dice onions and add to the browned meat. Stir.
- Add minced garlic and cook until the onions are translucent, about 15 minutes
- Add petite diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, pale light beer, all the sugar and seasoning. Stir and simmer for 1 hour with the lid on.
- Add the strained light red kidney beans. Stir and cover. Simmer for 2 more hours. Stir occassionally.
- Tastes better the longer it sits! Leftovers are even better!